Christmas makes

I haven't blogged about my sewing for ages.  Had a break for the beginning of the school year.  After making all those earrings i had to sell them somewhere so i booked a table at the local church fair.  I needed to make some other things to fill the table though.

I put the left over products in the staff room and ended up with orders for bunting too!

Then orders for door stops!

I got the sewing bug just before Christmas and thought about what i could make for family.  I always wanted to have a go at tablet bean bags like the phone beanbags from the fair.  They turned out really well.

I've done so well for selling stuff this Christmas that i am already planning valentine's gifts to sell and then Easter after that!

Making earrings

I have been having a great rest over the summer holidays.  Enjoyed a brilliant week with the kids in Hayle, Cornwall last week.  Had a little free time this week and went for a wander round hobbycraft.  I came out with some bits to make earrings, including lots of beads.  Look at the results!  I am deciding whether there is a local fair i could sell them at or save them for people's birthdays.

Elsa rag doll

My daughter has a friend who is leaving for a while and she was very upset so we decided to make something special for them to remember each other.  She loves Frozen and Elsa so i used my rag doll template to make a version of Elsa.  I used fabrics that i already had around the house but i really enjoyed making it.  I love the eyelashes.  Cost - 49p for blue felt sheet for eyes

End of school year presents

I haven't posted anything for ages!  It's been hectic recently and i have not had the time.  It is the end of the school year and i have made lots of presents for people to say 'Thank you'.  I'll share a few now.  I bought some of the materials in especially to make some of these so it was not a make do and mend project this time.  The quilted bag cost more to make than it would have done to buy but it was for a special colleague and the sewing bracelet was bought in for a sewing friend.

Crazy bag

I haven't had many birthdays recently but i have been keeping busy making lots of leaving presents for colleagues.  I will post some pictures when i have finished them all.  I would like to show you my crazy bag design though.  I've always loved the idea of a the bohemian style bags but with a more modern fabric range.  I made a prototype and gave it to a friend's teenage daughter who loved it.  I am making a second one, ironing out some of the problems.  I will make the strap thinner and measure more carefully.  It also needs some reinforcement to make it less floppy.  I was really pleased with it and only used bits of fabrics i had in my box.

Jewellery from old clothes

I regularly type homemade presents into google and see what images come up.  I found an amazing picture of a necklace from an old t-shirt last time so i thought i would have a go.  While i was at it, i saw some new style scarves with beads at the end.  They are half jewellery and half scarf so i made a scarf from an old shirt and added some beads.  They need a little more practise but i have worn the blue necklace out.  Will give one to my friend Charlotte for her birthday this week.

Baby presents

Went to a new shop today that one of my sewing friends told me about.  Direct Knit and Sew Ltd on Attercliffe Road, Sheffield.  It's like an Aladdin's cave!  It looked fairly normal, even outdated, from the front but when i went in i couldn't believe have far back it stretched with ream upon ream of fabrics.  A sewer's heaven.  I bought some baby fabric to make a present for a colleague who will be leaving on maternity soon.  I was quite please with them, if i do say so myself.  The ribbons on the fiddle blanket are a bit big, the baby will probably get it's hand stuck in them but it was too messy to open everything up again.  Cost - small bit of fabrics used - £11.50 for patterned fabric and £5.50 for toweling fabric on reverse.

Jewellery making

I have been amusing myself with making some more bracelets.  Have put these 4 together just need to find someone to give them to now.  I have been taking apart old jewellery that i do not use in order to make some new necklaces and bracelets.  The large beads are from a necklace that i never wore.  I like the beads but the necklace wasn't that great.  I want to get more adventurous with my jewellery but am not sure how.  I have bought some earrings and brooch pins but not sure how to tackle them yet.  Might combine my sewing and jewellery making skills to come up with something.  Watch this space.  I will post a picture if i can make anything worth wearing.

Up-cycling a chest of drawers

I have been up-cycling in the school holidays.  My daughter's room needed an update so we used the furniture she had to create something new, gave things a lick of paint and made bunting using fabrics i had laying around.  Both Ellie and me are really pleased with the results.

I am still practicing using my embroidery foot on the sewing machine.  I want to be able to write words but i need more practice as i can only write letters that are bigger than the size of my hand at the moment.  Practice makes perfect! Will keep going.  My present project is coat hanger covers.  I do not want to buy wooden coat hangers as make do and mend is my motto not buy everything new so i have been using kiddies' plastic coat hangers.  Have made a prototype to find the best designs and any problem areas.  Think i like the flat designs best not the ruffled ones.  Have been googling images to find a design i like.  A friend is having a baby soon and thought i might make her some with a couple of bibs that i have a pattern for.  Wish me luck!

I have been creating things for Easter. I don't like to give too much chocolate so i made these beanbag chickens for nieces and nephews and friends at work. They are really fun. I used scraps of fabric i already had but had to buy lots of rice!! I made some mummy chicken doorstops from upholstery fabric for the grown ups. See Red Ted Art for the chicken patterns. Have just bought a free motion foot for the sewing machine so i am hoping to be able to make some personalised gifts soon.

I haven't written for a while but i have still been making things.  I made a bag for a friend's daughter just for fun.  I used transfer paper to print some London pictures, sewed 2 pockets from my children's old clothes on and a small piece of London fabric for the heart.  Whipped this up in an hour.  It was a jolly piece and cost nothing as i used things i already had.

I also made a peg bear for my cousin's baby shower but forgot to take it!  A friend bought me a book that shows lots of designs that can be made from one metre of fabric - brilliant, just my kind of thing, squeezing as much out of a piece of fabric as possible.  This bear can be made with a fat quarter.  I treated myself to some funky fabric for my birthday and made it from that.  The kids loved it. Cost: £1.50 fabric other parts already had.

Been busy again.  I have made a couple of fabric bookmarks from a picture i saw on the internet.  These will be for colleagues presents in March.  Not sure they're into reading but i enjoyed making them!  Cost - fabric half a metre £3.50 (only a tiny bit used) and interfacing £1.25 for a metre (only a small bit used).

I had a sewing day with my friends on Friday.  An Easter sewing day.  We get together as often as possible for a gossip and sewing.  It was also my birthday so Amanda made me a cake.  I forgot to take a picture of the things we were sewing but i did take a picture of Amanda and Clare and the cake.

Clare had a disaster with a pom-pom when we found it on the floor in pieces!!

I can't believe that we are only into February, i've been sewing presents like there's no tomorrow!!  I've sewn more things so far this year than i did in the whole of last year.  I bought some great fabric from ebay sellers and made another tissue holder for the 4 birthdays in February at work.  It is also a nephew's birthday on the 22nd.  I was trying for something dinosaury but i couldn't find the right fabric for a toy bag.  I ended up using some new ebay sailing fabric and have made a wash bag that i will fill with fun games to play in the bath.  I used a cheap shower curtain for the lining so that the wet toys don't leak out.  It's the first time i've tried it and i've learnt a few lessons - i won't stretch the plastic fabric in order to keep it tight as it warped it and i will allow more fabric for the rope to run through so that i can tuck it under on the inside to make a neater finish.  This prototype has a raw edge finish between the bag and handle run on the inside and will frey when used.  Oh well, i'll know for next time.
Total cost: tissue holder 50p of fabric and washbag £1 for part of fabric and shower curtain.

I have also helped my mum out with some household projects.  She had some leftover curtain fabric and i knocked up a frilled cushion and some bunting.

Have loved making the tissue holders for colleagues at work.  They only take 15 minutes each, i made 3 in half an hour this evening!  I googled handmade glasses case to see what came up as well.  There is a site called suezybees with the most amazing felt glasses cases, phone cases and lots of other hand decorated felt goodies.  I was inspired to make a prototype of my own with some unwanted fabrics.  It is a horrible colour but i wanted to see how it went together.  It looks a little unsightly on the inside where it has been sewn together.  I will have to make the lining separately next time.  Not quite suezybee but the start of a new present for my bespectacled friends.

I am having such a good time creating all these homemade gifts.  It is so nice to give people things that you have made yourself.  The work badge holders have gone down a storm and i see them everyday being used which is really nice.  I'm finding lots of great new websites for sewing projects and other craft ideas.  The latest present was another t-shirt for a niece and i've found a great sewing pattern for a tissue holder for a lady's bag.  I have lots of birthdays at school in February so i will be making lots of these and keeping the tester one for myself.  If you want to have a look at the pattern and sewing instructions click here.  I am sorry that the quality of the pictures is so bad, the tissue holder looks great but you can't tell.  I need a new camera!  Cost: t-shirt £4 for 2 from Asda and 50p for iron on hearts in the sale at Hobbycraft.  The tissue holder was made from scraps of fabric so cost £0.